GenStat 12th Edition has arrived

Press Release – for immediate release

Hemel Hempstead, July 2009, VSNi, the data analysis software developer announces the worldwide release of the 12th edition of its pioneering software for bioscientists, GenStat. This new release marks a significant step in VSNi’s commitment to supporting the need for precise and reliable predictions in scientific research throughout the world.

GenStat has long been the choice of bioscientists across the world. Now with new and enhanced features specifically designed to assist plant researchers and breeders, as well as developments for users in other areas, GenStat again proves itself to be at the forefront of statistical computing and demonstrates VSNi’s understanding of the needs of bioscientists.

“GenStat 12 is an outstanding achievement in terms of its statistical capability,” says Stewart Andrews, CEO, VSNi, “and, importantly, a demonstration of our appreciation of the need to deal with and help to solve the issues we face today. In an era of climate change, food shortages and food security, we have upgraded GenStat with statistical routines needed by scientists working to solve the world’s agricultural problems.”

New features include the addition of stability coefficients and genotype + genotype-by-environment biplots for use in variety trials, quantile regression and a suite of menus for QTL analysis. Further enhancements have been made to the graphics, including facilities to allow interactive selection between plotting components, which will enable the user to add components to a basic plot to aid the interpretation of data. As with previous editions of GenStat, there have also been many enhancements to core areas such as regression, REML and multivariate analysis to ensure the statistical techniques remain relevant, reliable and up-to-date. A full list of the additional functionality in GenStat 12 is here.

The Bioscientist’s Tool: GenStat is the only statistical analysis software that is, and always has been, developed by statisticians working in the biosciences. From its initial development at Rothamsted Research, arguably the world’s oldest agricultural research station as well as being considered to be birthplace of modern statistics, GenStat provides valid, accurate and reliable statistical computing in an easy to use Windows menu environment.

Good Statistical Practice: GenStat is proud of its unrivalled reputation among users and competitors alike for ‘promoting good statistical practice’. Roger Payne, Chief Technical Officer of VSNi explains: “One of the guiding principles behind GenStat’s development from its conception has always been careful consideration for scientific validity. GenStat’s history and pedigree provides users with the security of knowing that the results from GenStat analysis are founded on sound statistical principles. GenStat’s intelligent and well-planned menu system and comprehensive suite of diagnostic messages work together to guide users to the most correct and appropriate analyses for their data. In short, you can use GenStat with complete confidence.”

About VSN International
Based in the UK, VSNi is a software house providing best-of-breed data analysis software and services to the analytical communities, as well as analytical technology (‘engines’) to third-party software and solutions vendors.